(Due to current refugee/immigration hysteria, this seemed like a good time to remind readers that 1) net migration to the UK has been steadily going down and 2) more than 380,000 British people emigrated FROM the UK last year and 3) that immigration is good for the economy and 4) roughly 28% of NHS doctors who… Read more There is a LONG History of Immigration in Britain
The science is in — it is hella important to wear a face mask over your mouth AND nose to curb the spread of coronavirus. The evidence was there all the way back in May. Taiwan has 24 million people but had only 6 deaths from coronavirus in part because the people started routinely wearing… Read more Science Finds Stupid, Selfish People Resist Wearing Face Masks
Long before John Knox first blasted his trumpet about the ‘monstrous regiment of women’ rulers, the fear of a female head of state was considered just and natural in Medieval Europe. Several kingdoms had codified Salic Law from 500 AD onward to prevent a woman from inheriting a throne. In the 12th century, England had… Read more The Medieval Fear of Women Rulers
Gender is a culturally negotiated process. A child is born sexed (or more rarely, intersexed), but only acculturation can ascribe gender. The child learns to behave in the manner associated with his/her biological sex, either masculine or feminine, in accordance with sociocultural praxis. Gender, like biological sex, has also historically been constructed by Western culture… Read more Biology is Not Gender
Our middle child was born a biological female on 1 May 2007. This summer, that child informed us that his biological sex was a physical misrepresentation of his true gender. That, in fact, he was a boy in his heart and his mind. Thus, we now have a son. His name is Scott, and we… Read more Behold, Our Son
Last summer my family and I took a trip to Cornwall (which is gorgeous), and while there we discovered the Museum of Witchcraft and Magic. It was both fun and informative, which is what I like from both museums and tourist attractions, so I can recommend it. Of course, as someone who writes nonfiction history,… Read more Medieval Folklore of Stones
What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun. ( Ecclesiastes 1:9) While the terms ‘transgender’ and ‘gender dysphoria’ are new, the phenomenon of believing yourself to be trapped in the body of the ‘wrong’ gender is not. There is archeological evidence of… Read more Medieval Understandings of Being Transgender
Not much is known about the early life of Cuba Cornwallis, one of the most famous Caribbean healers in 18th and 19th century. She might have been born into slavery, or she might have been captured in Africa and sold into slavery as an older child or adult. What is known is that at some… Read more The Amazing Life of Cuba Cornwallis
Sometime in January of 1502, Arthur Tudor and his bride, Katherina of Aragon, arrived at Ludlow Castle. There the young prince was to begin learning kingship by governing Wales, and to officially have some time to honeymoon with his spouse. But did Arthur consummate his marriage while they were together? According to Katherina, he did… Read more Did Arthur Tudor Consummate his Marriage?
Princess Charlotte Augusta of Wales died as a result of complications following the birth of her stillborn son on 6 November 1817. She was only 21, and the darling of Britain. The public mourning over her death would only be matched by the loss of Princess Diana nearly 180 years later. The reasons the public… Read more The Unpreventable Death of Princess Charlotte of Wales